jurassicparkfandomcom-20200222-history
Park drive transcript
Transcript of the recording within the Land Cruisers as narrated by the voice of during the first Park Drive tour just before the Isla Nublar Incident (taken from the novel): Tour Introduction (a fanfare of trumpets, and the interior screens flashed WELCOME TO JURASSIC PARK) *Welcome to Jurassic Park. You are now entering the lost world of the prehistoric past, a world of mighty creatures long gone from the face of the earth, which you are privileged to see for the first time. *Notice, first of all, the remarkable plant life that surrounds you. Those trees to your left and right are called cycads, the prehistoric predecessors of palm trees. Cycads were a favorite food of the dinosaurs. You can also see bennettitaleans, and ginkgoes. The world of the dinosaur included more modern plants, such as pine and fir trees, and swamp cypresses. You will see these as well. Hypsilophodont Highlands *We imagine the world of the dinosaurs, as a world of huge vegetarians, eating their way through the giant swampy forests of the Jurassic and Cretaceous world, a hundred million years ago. But most dinosaurs were not as large as people think. The smallest dinosaurs were no bigger than a house cat, and the average dinosaur was about as big as a pony. We are first going to visit one of these average-size animals, called hypsilophodonts. If you look to your left, you may catch a glimpse of them now. *Hypsilophodontids are the gazelles of the dinosaur world: small, quick animals that once roamed everywhere in the world, from England to Central Asia to North America. We think these dinosaurs were so successful because they had better jaws and teeth for chewing plants than their contemporaries did. In fact, the name 'hypsilophodontid' means 'high-ridge tooth,' which refers to the characteristic self-sharpening teeth of these animals. You can see them in the plains directly ahead, and also perhaps in the branches of the trees. *The small animals you see are called othnielia, in honor of the nineteenth-century dinosaur hunter Othniel Marsh of Yale. *The main herd of animals can be found in the grassy plain below you, We can rouse them with a simple mating call. ('' A loudspeaker by the fence gives a long nasal call, like the honking of geese.)x2 *Hypsilophodonts are not especially bright animals, They have roughly the intelligence of a domestic cow. *If you see them scratching, that is because they have skin problems. The veterinary scientists here at Jurassic Park think it may be a fungus, or an allergy. But they're not sure yet. After all, these are the first dinosaurs in history ever to be studied alive. *Now that we've had a look at these fascinating herbivores, we will go on to some dinosaurs that are a little larger. Quite a bit larger, in fact. Mesozoic Jungle River / Dilophosaur Enclosure *If you look to your left, you will see the dome of the Jurassic Park Aviary, which is not yet finished for visitors. And directly below is our Mesozoic jungle river-where, if you are lucky, you just may catch a glimpse of a very rare carnivore. Keep your eyes peeled, everyone! *There they are now, The animals you see are called dilophosaurs. *Dilophosaurus is one of the earliest carnivorous dinosaurs. Scientists thought their jaw muscles were too weak to kill prey, and imagined they were primarily scavengers. But now we know they are poisonous. *Along with such living reptiles as Gila monsters and rattlesnakes, Dilophosaurus secretes a hematotoxin from glands in its mouth. Unconsciousness follows within minutes of a bite. The dinosaur will then finish the victim off at its leisure-making Dilophosaurus a beautiful but deadly addition to the animals you see here at Jurassic Park. Les Gigantes *If you look on the bluff to the right, you'll see Les Gigantes, the site of our superb three-star dining room. Chef Alain Richard hails from the world-famous Le Beaumanière in France. Make your reservations by dialing four from your hotel rooms. Ornithischian Paddock *Continuing on our prehistoric safari, we come next to the herbivores of the ornithischian group. If you look to your right, you can probably see them now. *Unlike other dinosaurs, Triceratops serratus can't see well. They're nearsighted, like the rhinos of today, and they tend to be surprised by moving objects. They'd charge our car if they were close enough to see it! But relax, folks-we're safe enough here. *Triceratops have a fan-shaped crest behind their heads. It's made of solid bone, and it's very strong. These animals weigh about seven tons each. Despite their appearance, they are actually quite docile. They know their handlers, and they'll allow themselves to be petted. They particularly like to be scratched in the hindquarters. *(''slight interruption from Lex)-easygoing monsters from a bygone world stand in sharp contrast to what we will see next. The most famous predator in the history of the world: the mighty tyrant lizard, known as Tyrannosaurus rex. ''T. rex'' Paddock *The mighty tyrannosaurs arose late in dinosaur history. Dinosaurs ruled the earth for a hundred and twenty million years, but there were tyrannosaurs for only the last fifteen million years of that period. *..... *Ladies and gentlemen, Tyrannosaurus rex. Sauropod Swamp (The Land Cruisers stop again near the sauropod swamp) *The big animals you see are commonly called Brontosaurus, but they are actually Apatosaurus. They weigh more than thirty tons. That means a single animal is as big as a whole herd of modern elephants. And you may notice that their preferred area, alongside the lagoon, is not swampy. Despite what the books say, brontosaurs avoid swamps. They prefer dry land. *The dinosaurs of Jurassic Park don't breed, The young animals you see were introduced a few months ago, already hatched. But the adults nurture them anyway. *We move on now to see the last of our great prehistoric animals, the stegosaurs. Stegosaurus Valley *The stegosaurs are a mid-Jurassic animal, evolving about a hundred and seventy million years ago. Several of these remarkable herbivores live here at Jurassic Park- (interruption from Tim) (passengers exited the car to inspect the sick stegosaur) Category:InGen Information Category:Jurassic Park (novel) Category:Picture